Chapter 21: Just How Anxious Is He?

Today was the boss's birthday, but unlike previous years, there were no arrangements for a birthday song or a fan meeting. The studio was rarely granted a day off to follow his lead, so Fan Tiantian immediately scheduled an all-inclusive "eat, drink, and play" spree with her best friend.

After dining, getting facials, and shopping, the two radiant women watched a movie in the evening before excitedly moving on to a nearby bar.

A band was performing at the bar tonight, and the atmosphere was fantastic.

Fan Tiantian ordered a newly released cocktail and was just about to take a sip when she received a series of frantic calls from her superior.

"Are you kidding me? It's past ten, and I have to go in for overtime?"

Seeing her hang up the phone and say she had to leave, her best friend checked her wristwatch and stared at her with wide eyes, as if looking at a monster!

Fan Tiantian was already standing up, clutching her bag.

"It's the nature of the job. What's a little after ten? For the sake of my salary, I'd show up at three in the morning if called."

"As expected of my Sister Tian! Go ahead! Let's reschedule when you're free."

Fan Tiantian gave a cheeky grin and patted her friend's head. "I'm heading out. I've settled the bill; keep enjoying yourself."

With that, she strode out of the bar, quickly hailed a car, and headed straight for Lu Nanting's personal studio.

Fan Tiantian was 32 years old this year. Her name sounded incredibly sweet, but she was an unadulterated *yujie*—decisive, efficient, and highly independent.

A singlehood advocate, she believed that "even a dog wouldn't date," and that "work is a woman's best friend."

She was Lu Nanting's PR manager and was quite famous in the industry.

While still in the car, she sent out a notification to call everyone in the department back.

Because the bar was nearby, by the time she arrived at the studio, everyone except the manager, Zhang Mingyuan, had yet to arrive.

Zhang Mingyuan was at the front desk counting takeout orders.

Seeing her enter, he casually handed her a cup.

Fan Tiantian leaned in to look; seeing the table covered in coffee, she instantly felt energized!

"What's up, Brother Yuan? What happened? Looking at these combat supplies, it seems like we're prepping for an all-nighter."

Zhang Mingyuan was currently extremely exhausted and didn't want to repeat himself: "Wait for Brother Li. He'll be here in two minutes."

Li Jie was in charge of promotion, specifically new media operations. He was great at using internet memes and could help Lu Nanting gain and retain fans.

The matter of Lu Nanting getting married would require close cooperation between the two of them.

Fan Tiantian always worked with high intensity and had no intention of waiting: "I haven't received a single scrap of news. Besides, crisis PR requires racing against the clock. Give me a hint first; while everyone is still on their way, I'll start brainstorming!"

Recently, Lu Nanting had been preparing for his next concert and had barely attended any events, except for his birthday. Friends in the industry had sent timely blessings, which required them to respond promptly to prevent anyone from starting rumors that Lu Nanting was a "fake friend." However, those matters had been handled last night.

Driven to distraction by her, Zhang Mingyuan simply told her the truth

"Our boss got his marriage certificate today."

"What?!!"

Since it was too much to explain over the phone, Fan Tiantian only knew something had happened. She thought it was some issue with an endorsement, not realizing it was a private relationship matter!

How refreshing!

"Careful, your eyes are about to pop out!"

Zhang Mingyuan snapped at her irritably, grabbed a coffee, and headed toward the conference room.

With such a massive event occurring, and the boss still trying to keep it under wraps, he was under immense pressure and didn't want to waste words on nonsense.

Zhang Mingyuan was not tall, standing at only 1.72 meters. Fan Tiantian, a big girl from Northeast China, stood nearly 1.82 meters in high heels and caught up to him in a few strides.

Her high heels clicked against the wooden floor, *thud, thud, thud*, mirroring her mood—she couldn't be calm at all.

"With whom? I haven't seen him dating anyone! He probably hasn't even touched a girl's hand all year; how could he have a flash marriage?!! Are you playing an international joke on me?! Is it possible that these days, single dogs can just go get married by themselves? Has the policy changed?"

In the eyes of an experienced person like her, if someone were in a relationship, the "sour smell" of romance could be detected from miles away.

But since the studio was established nearly three years ago, Fan Tiantian had never seen the boss get close to any girl.

His public image had always been that of a "cold, single king"—eyes only for work, none for love.

To suddenly get married—she couldn't wrap her head around it for a moment. Wouldn't the extreme fans want to jump off a building?

No wonder Brother Yuan had called them all in overnight.

Regardless of how much her heart was racing, Zhang Mingyuan only cared about the work being done right.

"Alright, anyone who arrives after eleven gets their bonus docked. Hurry up and nudge them."

The studio offered good benefits, but the rules were strict.

Zhang Mingyuan hadn't reached his position through connections alone.

Doing crisis PR for a top-tier male star meant working overnight was common.

Speaking of which, Lu Nanting was one of the most low-maintenance people in the industry.

There were basically no blind people trying to tear up his resources or fight for his status; even if an artist was being foolish, their managers would desperately stop them.

He wasn't a "time management master" who would use every spare moment amidst a busy schedule to get entangled with different men and women.

He wasn't a club kid either; he never went out partying or attended those improper gatherings. On his days off, he basically went home to accompany his mother or take care of his nieces and nephews...

One could say that for the past few years, working with him had been as easy as retirement.

Encountering such a sudden change, after the initial panic subsided, she actually felt a sense of eager anticipation.

Finally, it's here...

The perfect opportunity she had waited years for to show off her skills...

Thus, as the other staff members arrived one after another, they saw Fan Tiantian looking like a Big Bad Wolf—holding a coffee cup in one hand and stroking her chin with the other, pacing circles in the conference room while letting out a "hehehe" laugh.

Li Jie, the Promotion Manager, had just been at home tutoring his daughter with her homework and was so angry his blood pressure had spiked. When he received Zhang Mingyuan's call, he almost wept with joy and rushed over without needing to be urged.

There were thirteen people working overtime tonight, and he was arguably the only one who walked through the door smiling.

Once everyone was assembled in the large conference room, they saw everyone nervously tapping on their laptops, staring at him with serious expressions.

Zhang Mingyuan cleared his throat, clapped his hands, and said calmly

"The specifics are: the boss had a flash marriage today. He has no intention of making an official announcement for now. Tonight, we need to come up with several response plans to prevent being caught off guard if it gets leaked."

All staff members had signed non-disclosure agreements; any violation would result in liability, and no one in the industry would hire them again. Naturally, Zhang Mingyuan spoke without hesitation, being as direct as possible.

A good PR professional doesn't wait for something to happen before discussing solutions.

One must fully consider every aspect of the matter before it occurs and prepare based on the results the boss desires.

If nothing happens, that's ideal; if it unfortunately does, they can handle it with ease.

Upon hearing what he said, several gasps erupted in the office!

The quick-handed immediately ran to close the windows and draw the curtains, while also turning the air conditioning down a degree.

Just as Fan Tiantian had thought—the boss doesn't even flirt with girls all day; who could he possibly get a certificate with?

It was too sudden!

And—

"Didn't the boss just turn 22 today? Just how impatient is he that he wouldn't even wait a single day?!"

No wonder nothing was scheduled this year and everyone was given a day off!

If they had known he was going to stir things up, they might as well have worked a normal shift!

***

Good morning, my internet brothers and sisters.

Manager 3, sporting dark circles under her eyes, passes by carefully...

I've been driven mad by deadlines lately; I wrote over 8,000 words in a day and still felt it wasn't enough.

My backlog isn't full enough, so my heart is restless; the ending of *The Eldest Senior Sister* is undecided, so I am uneasy.

The "King of Grinding's" project is nearing completion. I registered a company for him. His brother gave him fifty [units] to play around with, just to gain experience.

If it weren't for their one-year arrangement, I would suspect there might be some biological connection between them.

My usual chatting buddies, who occasionally turn into trolls or angry youths, have actually become wealthy men and owners of two large companies after more than ten years, and I didn't even know, spending my days bickering with them.

Sigh, the benefactor is right in front of me; I am so unfilial.

I wonder when my long-lost sisters will find me to publish my little broken book, so I can have more material for my dreams and be able to close my eyes in satisfaction when I pass away.

I helped the King of Grinding a lot; from now on, he's not allowed to call me "wife"; he must call me "President Li" before I'll acknowledge him.

Short-term projects, incubation, second and third rounds of financing, growing big and strong—that's basically impossible. Being eyed by someone and bought out is a slight possibility; tossing around for a long time and losing everything is the most likely outcome.

Sigh, life lies in constant tossing and turning; it's always a good thing to be willing to strive.

He tosses his way, and I toss mine. The reason the King of Grinding and his wife ended up together is likely because they share a similar "condition."

A feeling of madness.

Waaaah, there's so much manuscript, I can never finish. I'm even typing on a keyboard in my dreams, transforming into an octopus demon—it's quite stimulating.

(End of Chapter)